tsg20

Brilliant - thanks. That looks fantastic. I've been meaning to go to O'Shea's for ages, so this should make me finally get round to it.

With Jack O'Shea's closed, where is the best place to get Iberico pork in London?

I do have a small closet, but I also have a vegetarian wife. We'll see! I'll probably just give it a go by grabbing some cheeks next time I'm in GP. In any case I bit the bullet and ordered from Natoora, and I have to say I'm pretty impressed - found 10 quid off at quidco and free delivery, and tonight I got 1.5kg of guanciale and some other stuff. Made a great carbonara just now (I'd forgotten how much of a difference it makes versus bacon), and the lardo is fantastic, too.

That sounds like a great idea, except I'm not sure our tiny flat has anywhere at the right temperature for the part where you have to hang it up for a month or two (I'm imagining a cellar is what you want here?).

I'd never seen it in the Ginger Pig, and just phoned to be told they didn't even know what it was (slightly surprisingly, but...).

Thanks! Minimum of 40 quid order plus delivery on top, though...

Does anyone know of anywhere in (preferably central) London selling decent guanciale?

After a week in Pohang, I'm going to be passing through Seoul station with a couple of hours to spare for lunch on my way home. Does anyone have any lunch suggestions close to the station?

I'm surprised you recall this. He offers a solely vegetarian a la carte, and has on several occasions put together a veg tasting menu that's kept my missus entertained for several hours (which is more than I've ever managed). Otherwise, I can fully endorse your sentiments regarding high-end places. Mildred's is not for vegetarians, incidentally. It's for people who hate food. Morgan M, meanwhile, tends to be enjoyed by vegetarians and reviewed by people who hate food. Our experience of Tom Aikens was a long time ago (the first year it was open, maybe?) so I can well believe it's not like that now. Given how good Roussillon was for vegetarians, this seems extremely plausible.

My wife is a vegetarian, so we have considerable experience of this. Most of the higher-end restaurants do a very good job for vegetarians - Pied A Terre springs to mind, as does Roussillon, and the Ledbury too - but I'd be surprised if anywhere did a bad job, and all of these places do far, far better vegetarian food than any vegetarian restaurant I've ever been to, unsurprisingly. Occasionally you find places that opt to pretty much leave the meat off and give the side vegetables to the vegetarians (Tom Aikens did this, as I recall), but most places make rather more effort than that.

Thanks for the suggestions - some great-looking stuff to check out. I'm not wedded to 3* at all - I just know that I wouldn't be able to afford them at all without a deal.

In London there are a lot of good deals to be had at lunch - often half the price of dinner, even in 2*/3* restaurants. Is this the case in Paris? Are there any particularly good deals? I'd love to go to some of the 3*s, but can't really afford much over 100euros/head.

Just made one of these - very good. Reminded me a bit of the Trilogy cocktail (4:2:1 Carpano Antica:Cynar:Fernet Branca), which I believe is also one of Mr Sidle's.

I've had a couple of Bobbie Burns in bars in recent weeks, and I'd like to make some at home. Any suggestions of a cheapish Scotch for mixing?

Astor and Union Square Wines carry it. ← Sorry for the late response on this one - didn't make it to NYC that time, but have done now and this advice was invaluable. Thanks!